UN: Myanmar refugees turned back by Bangladesh

GENEVA - An unknown number of people fleeing sectarian violence in Myanmar's Rakhine region are adrift in boats on the Naf River and some have been turned back by Bangladeshi border authorities, the United Nations refugee agency said on Friday.

"The UN refugee agency has first-hand, credible accounts of boats from Myanmar not being enabled to access Bangladeshi territory. These reports indicate women, children and some wounded are on board," the agency said in a statement.

Refugees interviewed by Reuters Television next to the Naf River gave accounts of the days of sectarian violence in which thousands of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas have been displaced. Many are feared dead.